Historic Fort Steilacoom - Events
- June 26 & 27: "Battle at Fort Steilacoom", Civil War Reenactment at Fort Steilacoom Park, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day; battles at 11 a.m. & 3 p.m.; Fort open for tours 12 noon to 5 p.m.
- July 4: Fort open 1-4 p.m.
- July 11: Fort open 1-4 p.m.
- July 18: Fort open 1-4 p.m.
- July 22: George Wilkinson, professional land surveyor, will locate historical roads in and around Steilacoom using an aerial map. He will explain historic legal facts, names and places. Displayed will be old survey and drafting instruments, and surveyor's notes and maps drafted before 1900 by local surveyors living in Steilacoom. (Lectures will be held at 7 p.m. at the Steilacoom Town Hall. There is no charge).
- July 25: Fort open 1-4 p.m.
- August 1: Fort open 1-4 p.m.
- August 8: Fort open 1-4 p.m.
- August 15: Fort open 1-4 p.m.
- August 19: John Hemphill, retired Major General, & Alan Archambault, Curator of the Fort Lewis Military Museum, will present a series of interesting events in the Town of Steilacoom's long relationship with the Military. The military came permanently to the area in 1849 and had a close relationship with the town that ended abruptly in the late 1860s. The connection began again at the end of the Nineteenth Century and continues to build into the Twenty-first Century. (Lectures will be held at 7 p.m. at the Steilacoom Town Hall. There is no charge).
- August 22: Founders' Day picnic, 1-4 p.m.
- August 29: Fort open 1-4 p.m.
- September 5: Fort open 1-4 p.m.
- September 15: Alan Spreen, a member of the Steilacoom Masonic Lodge, and Stan Cybulski, of the Grand Lodge Library and Museum committee, will relate the history of the lodge, explain its importance to the town of Steilacoom, and emphasize the contributions of pioneer members. Masonic books and memorabilia will be displayed. (Lectures will be held at 7 p.m. at the Steilacoom Town Hall. There is no charge).
- October 3: Fort open 1-4 p.m.
- October 10: Annual Meeting and program, 2 p.m., Qtrs. 2
- October 20: Gary Reese, retired Director of Tacoma Public Library Northwest Room, will speak about Lt. August V. Kautz, a friend of Steilacoom. Lt. Kautz's diaries reveal the life at the fort and the town. Quartermaster Kautz supervised the construction of the four 1858 buildings that remain at Fort Steilacoom. He joined Steilacoom lodges, wrote for the town newspaper, socialized, and surveyed. He was friendly with Hudson Bay officials at Fort Nisqually and had an Indian wife. (Lectures will be held at 7 p.m. at the Steilacoom Town Hall. There is no charge).
- November 7: Fort open 1-4 p.m.
- November 17: Eileen Melberg and Laurie Sterling, Fort Steilacoom Board members and historical reenactors, will present impressions of women from different backgrounds connected with Fort Steilacoom during the 1850s. (Lectures will be held at 7 p.m. at the Steilacoom Town Hall. There is no charge).
- December 5: Fort open 1-4 p.m.
- December 11: Christmas at Fort Steilacoom, reenactment, 4-8 p.m.
- December 15: Patrick Haskett,
an artist noted for nautical paintings, will present the achievements
of the 1841 Wilkes United States Exploring Expedition in Puget Sound.
The large square rigger, the Vincennes was anchored off Solo Point,
where the original Fort Nisqually was located. Members of the expedition
surveyed, charted, and named all points of the Sound. Historical ship
paintings will be on display. (Lectures will be held at 7 p.m. at the
Steilacoom Town Hall. There is no charge).